September 2009 Reads, Potential Reads, and Abandoned Reads

[Isis]

You're presuming that someone without a job wants to spend money (including, I presume, overseas shipping) on a book he knows almost nothing about except that it is highly recommended on an internet forum.

Right, so saying that a book is hard to find also tells me that the person looking for it currently has no income, does it?

I find the entire idea of buying a book without first reading a chapter or two (or the book to which it is a sequel, or the complete other works of the author, or similar) to be utterly baffling, but I guess if you have enough money to throw around you can do what you want.

Not that one book breaks the bank, but this is far from the only book I've been unable to find anywhere in person.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're in the minority there because I have NEVER heard of anyone needing to read the first two chapters of a book before they buy it. How do you even accomplish that?

I've been reading a great deal since I was a small child and I've developed good judgement about whether I'm going to enjoy a book or not (based on many factors). This is why I don't have much to say in threads about 'books you hated' - because I generally manage to avoid rubbish books. This has become even easier to do since I first had access to the internet - there's a wealth of information and opinion available online about books I might want to read - it's just a case of being able to tell a a reliable source from an unreliable one. On many occasions I will just KNOW that I have to read a certain book. Instead of paying full price for it in a shop or online I'll look for it at the library or second-hand - I choose not to throw money around on books.

I have ordered second-hand books from Amazon which are shipped from the US to the UK which have cost me less than ordering the full price version which ships UK-to-UK. If I want to read a book I don't care what condition it is in so long as I can read it, therefore I'll buy the cheapest version I can get hold of. As for shipping fees I pay the same price for books shipped from the US as I do for ones shipped from the UK.

[emberling]

Right, so saying that a book is hard to find also tells me that the person looking for it currently has no income, does it?

It doesn't tell you anything; you made the assumption that I had money to throw around.

What it does imply is that seeing a book in person is important to me, since the entire concept of 'hard to find' is incompatible with ordering things off of the Internet.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're in the minority there because I have NEVER heard of anyone needing to read the first two chapters of a book before they buy it. How do you even accomplish that?

Pick up the book and begin reading? Modern bookstores even provide comfortable chairs specifically for this purpose. I'm pretty sure those chairs aren't designed solely for my use.

I've been reading a great deal since I was a small child and I've developed good judgement about whether I'm going to enjoy a book or not (based on many factors). This is why I don't have much to say in threads about 'books you hated' - because I generally manage to avoid rubbish books.

The continued existence of such threads suggests that perhaps it is not me that is the exception here.

I had every reason to expect that I would greatly enjoy The Blade Itself. Having been in a hurry at the time, I broke my usual rule and bought it without the usual preview. I put it down after about 50 pages.

I had every reason to expect that I would greatly enjoy Reaper's Gale. Again, I got about 50 pages in and no further. This wasn't even breaking my own rule, as I had six previous books telling me it was a safe buy, but again I got burned.

This was more evidence of my own shifting tastes than anything to do with the quality of the books, but it's not like I had some neon flashing sign I was ignoring telling me that my patience for huge epic fantasies was wearing thin; not liking these two books was the sign.

Blood from Stone Laura Anne Gilman

I've seen several people mention this, but I don't think I ever saw any opinions. IIRC, I stopped reading after book four because the next book wasn't anywhere convenient at the time, and never really cared enough to pick it up when I did see it. I enjoyed the series well enough, but I had the vague impression that the direction the story was taking would be significantly less fun. Is it worth continuing?

[murphy]

Now doing a reread of The Protector's War by S. M. Stirling. It's the second book in the Change series.

[Larry.]

Just finished writing the review for Terrence Holt's In the Valley of the Kings. This collection of stories almost certainly will win some awards. While not explicitly SF, it certainly is SFnal. And to give some idea of the high esteem I have for it, I would rate it equal to or even higher than Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life. How's that for high praise? :P

[Guest Nadine]

Geeks have their little habits, being judgemental about how we choose books is kind of silly, imo. I take the shotgun approach - I buy as many books as I can that interest me, then sell the bad ones at halfprice books. I cannot read chapters to judge a book - once I start reading it, I *have* to finish. :P Kuro - I haven't read the book yet, but I did like all the previous ones. I follow LAG on FB and LJ (she is quite entertaining) and she said this is her last book concerning Wren, so I am guessing there is some closure. It sounds like she is working on several new projects and I am kinda excited.

BTW: Not sure if we ever talked about her, but stay away from Rachel Caine. Her weather witch or whatever series really kinda sucks. Have you read Lilith Saintcrow? A bit more romance than I like, but she has a very interesting world.

[Astra]

It doesn't tell you anything; you made the assumption that I had money to throw around.

What it does imply is that seeing a book in person is important to me, since the entire concept of 'hard to find' is incompatible with ordering things off of the Internet.

You are wrong.

Hard to find is hard to find and it has nothing to do with the amount of cash you are willing to part for getting the book.

You didn't get across your idea, so stop crying when people didn't understand you.

[Guest Nadine]

You are wrong.

Hard to find is hard to find and it has nothing to do with the amount of cash you are willing to part for getting the book.

You didn't get across your idea, so stop crying when people didn't understand you.

Actually, you are wrong. Hard to find usually means more expensive since the book may be rare *and* you will have to pay shipping and handling.

[Astra]

Actually, you are wrong. Hard to find usually means more expensive since the book may be rare *and* you will have to pay shipping and handling.

No. It is "hard to find" with additional details.

Just hard to find means hard to find. Not everybody is internet shopping geek. Some people don't know about many websites where you can find books. So, hard to find means one could not find a book and the most obvious help is to point out a few sources. Point out the sources trying to help a person, not to humiliate him/her and surely not to be slapped on the face for the attempt.

[Guest Nadine]

Is English your second language? From your phrasing, I guess yes. I don't think anyone else had trouble understanding the hard to find = more money concept.

[beniowa]

This is the last thread I would have expected to be derailed into a pissing contest.

Speaking for myself, I'm a lot like Isis in that I trust my own judgment of books. I know what I like and I always read a book's synopsis. While I also check out reviews and recommendations, the synopsis is still key for me. That's one reason I've been hesitant to pick up The Magicians by Grossman despite the positive reviews.

I still buy way too many books than I can possibly read. :blush:

To help get the thread back on track, I'm almost done with Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds. The time/plot jumps at the beginning felt a little odd, but I can see why that happened and it worked pretty well. I'm enjoying the book and I'll give more thoughts after I get back from out of town.

My reading of Metatropolis has a stalled while I've been reading Revelation Space. I'll get back to it later.

[Guest Nadine]

lol Ben, rite? Of all the things to be a dick about, dicking the way someone chooses books is just...petty. And sort of weird and totally controlling. But I may be defensive about it since the ways I choose books are silly and I too, buy more books than I can read. I was re-reading the thread and was sort of horrified at the number of books I just bought, but I think I know why. (This is even sillier) I do not read much in the summer - I love reading in the winter, curled up with a down blanket. Since winter is coming, its time to stock up on books.

On track, I am on book 4 of my WoT re-read. Probably my favorite book due to Rhiudean, but I found I am already skipping pages - this is where the Perrin stuff gets utterly stupid.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

I just finished “Dead Witch Walking†by Kim Harrison and really didn’t care for it that much. Took a while, but I think my problem with it is I expect urban fantasy to fit into a recognizable world, not change too many aspects of it. Of course the writing was so-so as well.

I am in the middle of “Three Days to Never†by Time Powers and it totally rocks. It is one of the best stories I have read in a while. I read until I couldn’t keep my eyes open last night. Can’t wait to finish the book.

[beniowa]

Nadine, I apologize for coming off a little harsh. I just think it's silly how the board tends to argue about everything. :)

[Guest Nadine]

Nadine, I apologize for coming off a little harsh. I just think it's silly how the board tends to argue about everything. :)

Nah, I agree - it *is* silly. :P

[Astra]

Is English your second language? From your phrasing, I guess yes. I don't think anyone else had trouble understanding the hard to find = more money concept.

Are you always enjoying hitting below the belt?

However, I discussed it with my colleagues at work and they agree with me. My interpretation of "hard to find" is absolutely right, unless giving more details about expected price etc.

[Bellis]

<mod> No more OT discussion please. Next OT post results in entire string of posts being deleted </mod>

Fear of Flying by Erica Jong. I came to the conclusion that this isn't a major feminist worth; rather, it's more a precursor to the modern chick lit (Sex in the City, etc). The prose is quite annoying, though she has occasional moments of quotable brilliance and wit. These are balanced by the sheer unlikeability of the protagonist, overall, and the casually racist portrayal, especially in the section in Lebanon. One of those fun to read but ultimately bad books (or is it the other way around?).

War Trash by Ha Jin - the story of a Chinese man who is conscripted to fight in the Korean Wars, mainly focusing on his experiences in a POW camp in North Korea. In many ways, the style and subject is similar to many other stories of this kind, the difference of course being that he's on the "other" side (though confortingly pro-American and anti-communist nevertheless - Jin is writing in English for an American audience after all).

I found it more educational than enjoyable - the prose is pretty dull - but if you like war stories you might like this better.

I'm now reading The Windup Girl and will reserve judgment until I'm finished.

[Guest Nadine]

I am not trying to hit anywhere. A large number of people on this board do not use English as their main language. I have nothing but admiration for that - I grew up with English and still suck at using it. Not to mention my inability to remember any Spanish that doesn't involve drinks and restrooms despite four years of langugage education.

I am simply trying to point out that there is no reason whatsoever to get snarky about how people find and purchase recreational books. You could share your resources in finding certain books, but why be a dick about it?

ahhh simul-posting. Sorry Bellis - I just wanted to clear up my position and let them know I am not trying to be a basher. :(

[Cuchulain]

I've just finished Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. While the ideas and arguments in the novel are well-developed and inspire further thoughts, I found most of the story boring to read (the climax in the metaphorical 'Magic Theatre' being a notable exception). Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this kind of book. I regret not enjoying it more, as I could really sympathize with Harry's state of mind at times.

[Annelise]

I read World's End by Mark Chadbourn. I enjoyed the premise and the execution. I think he also does characterization quite well, but I just didn't quite click with any of the main characters. The dialogue is fine too, but it doesn't sparkle. And while he generally succeeds in meshing celtic legends as partial truths in his world's reality, there was a rather jarring moment with the character Ruth that I just couldn't see as anything other as silly and gratuitous.

I'll read the next one though, because I am curious to see where he takes it.

I also read The Devil's Company by David Liss. After enjoying The Whiskey Rebels, I was surprised to have to work to get through this one. It was just was rather.. flat, like he was painting by numbers. Of course, this was the 3rd novel with this protagonist so perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had I read the first two.

[Procrastimancer]

Just finished Green by Jay Lake. Liked it quite a bit. Have no clue what to read now.